Looking at a .22 rifle

I've been looking at purchasing a .22 rifle. I was looking today at my local gun store and they had some cool looking .22's by savage they had a hole in the stock for a thumb grip. I really liked them but, they had a price tag of about $400ish. Now for a .22 rifle at $400 it's almost in the range of the Marlin 39a and the CZ 452 with the scope. How do these rifles compare? how about bolt action vs lever action is it just personal preference or is there a difference? Which is more accurate?

I want to get a plinker but, would like to get a nice one say no more than $550 thanks Rich

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JTW Jr.

August 19, 2007, 07:25 PM

at Dicks I just got a Savage Mark II GVXP ( with accu-trigger ) in 22 LR with scope for $249.
Scope aint the best ( Simmons ) but at 50 yards , will work just fine.

First trip to the range with it , I was able to put 5 shots in under an inch off a semi-stable shooting bench with bulk ammo. Would have been half inch easy but I rocked the table on the 5th shot. DOH !

Cant ask for more than that for $250. I tried the thumbhole but it didnt feel natural to me offhand , for bench shooting maybe .

Il Duca

August 19, 2007, 09:07 PM

I like Savages, but I would not spend $400 on any of the .22s they have on the market. For that money I would buy the CZ.

$400 would also really open up your selection if you included used rifles. You can end up with much more rifle for the money. I just picked up a Weatherby Mark XXII for $250 in great shape, alot less than half of what it's worth. You just have to be willing to search through the pawn shops. I found it on a rack mixed in with a bunch of Marlin 60s and 10/22s. The guy wanted $350 each for the 10/22s but sold me the Weatherby for $250, go figure. I'm also bringing home a Savage Anscutz Mark 10 Tuesday that I paid $200 for. Yuo would be amazed at what you can dig up in some of the little hole-in-the-wall shops. I usually am.

Visit us over at Rimfirecentral.com for info on just about any rimfire you can think of.

Rod B

August 19, 2007, 09:19 PM

Go for a CZ452 series, you won't regret it. :)

woof

August 19, 2007, 09:37 PM

The cz is very high quality and very accurate. The Marlin 39 the mystique of being a legendary great rifle, a lever action, and still the equal of the cz in accuracy. For me I like to keep bolt action for centerfires. I like shooting a levergun and shooting it a lot so that means the Marlin is the ultimate. But if you were on a budget the Henry is a good value and loads of fun for under 200. With some effort, you might find a nice Henry and the cz 452 in your price range.

hksw

August 19, 2007, 09:46 PM

I take it that it was a Mako.

To be fair, it does have an AccuTrigger and it is better than the 452's stock trigger when both are adjusted to their minimum weights (the AT providing much less pull weight which most folks like). To get to the (low) level of the AT's adjustment (and even exceed it) , you'll have to move up to the 453 which is considerably better in both unset and set mode. At this level, it will also be in the $400+ range.

In either case, IMO, the CZs are still the better guns. (Trigger/sear modded 452 or stock 453.)

Highland Ranger

August 19, 2007, 09:54 PM

Another vote for the CZ: build quality, accuracy and just the beauty of the stock would be expected on a gun with twice the price tag.

rich0372

August 20, 2007, 10:31 PM

Went to gun store today and saw a Ruger 70/22 with a scope....I really liked it. How do these rifles compare to the CZ 452/453 or the marlin's, Winchester's or Savage's

hksw

August 21, 2007, 01:29 PM

If you peruse rimfirecentral, the opinions of the 77/22 have not been nearly as positive than even the Marlins and Savages, let alone the CZs (out of the box). The reason I do not have one.

JimmerJammerMrK

August 21, 2007, 03:27 PM

how about bolt action vs lever action is it just personal preference or is there a difference? Which is more accurate?
Generally speaking, bolt actions rifles tend to be more accurate, while lever actions are undeniably faster.

MrBorland

August 21, 2007, 03:50 PM

Now for a .22 rifle at $400 it's almost in the range of the Marlin 39a and the CZ 452 with the scope. How do these rifles compare? how about bolt action vs lever action is it just personal preference or is there a difference? Which is more accurate?

I want to get a plinker but, would like to get a nice one say no more than $550

IMO, you can't go too wrong with either a Marlin 39a or CZ 452. Both are fantastic guns and more accurate than me. I think it depends on whether you want to soley plink with it.

A new or used 39a is a piece of pure Americana that can be handed down to your kids. Of the 2, it's the easier to plink with, especially if outfitted with peep sights. If scoped, I'm sure it would be a tack driver, but shooting a lever gun off a bench is more cumbersome than with a bolt rifle.

I installed a $14 Brook's trigger kit in my CZ Varmint, and with a 4.5-14x AO scope, it's the easier of the 2 to be accurate with.

ArmedBear

August 21, 2007, 04:04 PM

39A offers a lot of fun for the money, for less than a 10/22 will cost by the time you're actually satisfied with it. I liked mine so much, I found an old 39M and bought that, too.:) If you get one, expect to leave your other .22's in the safe a lot.

CZ fanaticism has led to both Savage and Marlin bolt guns being given short shrift -- unfairly -- on the Web. That doesn't mean the CZ isn't a great gun. It is. But it's not the ONLY great gun.

Is the Savage one of these?
http://www.savagearms.com/images/MarkII-BTVS.jpg

Laminate thumbhole beavertail stock with a bipod stud, stainless heavy barrel, scope bases? I'm sorry CZ guys, but that's a lot more than CZ offers at that price, and the Savage is plenty accurate.

Again, that doesn't mean I don't like the CZ. However, those who go back and actually compare the American guns might find that there's a lot to like about them, including the price. Seems not long ago you could pick up a CZ for a ridiculously low price; there was no real competition. That's no longer the case.

Well, if you like that stock and it fits you, do you have other concerns?

Afy

August 21, 2007, 05:51 PM

+1 for the CZ. also try one of those harmonizer/Tuner thingies... they will screw onto the supressor threads on the CZ. Also try different ammo types...

I get the best accuracy at 50 meters with Eley Subsonic and 100 M accuracy with the Lapua Match King Ammo. Well under 1 MOA without a Harmonizer/Tuner. Am still trying to get one of those in France... no one seems to have heard of them around here.

Grizzley Adams

August 21, 2007, 05:56 PM

myself i like the 10/22 good solid reliable rifle that shoots well right out of the box.and in my area you can pick them up for about 175 bucks.to me 400+ dollars is way to much for a 22lr.but i don't have the bucks that some others have.and another good thing about that 10/22 is it is highly customizable and you could do a lot with the money you save.also i like how they are very easy to work you don't need a whole lot of gun knowledge when it comes to working on these reliable little rifles.just some food for thought for ya.

Grizzley Adams

August 21, 2007, 05:59 PM

messege deleted by Grizzley Adams.

hksw

August 21, 2007, 08:04 PM

myself i like the 10/22 good solid reliable rifle that shoots well right out of the box.

You may have a rarity there. Of the 10/22s I have and have shot before modification, none would do better than 1¼" at 50yds. Accurate enough for some folks but a CZ 452/3 (and Marlin and Savage) will handily outshoot that out of the box. To get the same or better groups from the 10/22 to the level of the CZ, you'll be running the cost up easily to $400. IMO, of course.

ArmedBear

August 21, 2007, 11:59 PM

A Marlin SEMIAUTO will outshoot that handily out of the box.

Marlin, Savage, and CZ bolt guns, and the Marlin lever gun, will HAVE IT FOR LUNCH.

Nothing wrong with a 3 MOA plinker, but if you're going to scope it and shoot at little faraway things, get something else.:) That would include the Marlin 60 for what is now a significantly lower price (I just got a new one for $120; I bought a 10/22 a year or two ago for $180 and they've gone up since).

well hksw didn't say it shot super but for average small game hunting and plinking it does fine for me.but i am a simple type person who just needs so much.now granted the tighter the gruop the better but i can make do with what it shoots for me.but i got about 1 at 60 yards so are you sure something wasn't wrong with the rifle before you fixed it up?

hksw

August 24, 2007, 09:02 PM

Hope I didn't come off condescending AG, if I did, I appologize.

The 6 or 7 I shot and grouped before modifictions were out of the box unaltered.

Once you get into modding the 10/22 for accuracy and shooting other guns that group better out of the box, your perception of what constitutes good groups changes. Unfortunately, I've fallen into the 0.5" at 50yds hole.

ArmedBear

August 24, 2007, 09:05 PM

Unfortunately, I've fallen into the 0.5" at 50yds hole.

Try a rimfire benchrest match. 0.5" at 50 yards is a shotgun pattern compared to the accuracy they get, and need, to be competitive. They don't use spotting scopes, because their rifle scopes have more magnification anyway.

There's always a new way to blow some cash on an accurate .22 rifle.:)

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